Baidu, a China-based search engine business, took the wraps off a digital health tool to field medical queries and conversations between physicians and their patients called Melody medical assistant. The company claimed in a news release that the app uses deep learning to help doctors gather information from patients about their medical conditions and help physicians arrive at a diagnosis. To give an idea how the bot is designed to work, a spokeswoman provided an overview, in response to emailed questions. When a patient opens the app to pose a question, Melody asks the patient relevant follow-up questions to clarify information such as the duration, severity, and frequency of symptoms. The questions can also touch on additional symptoms related to the condition, even though the patient may not have mentioned…